Bloodline (Whyborne & Griffin) (Volume 5)

This one was very sweet but felt a little rushed. I love JLH's work and her boys. All I really want to say is that whenever Griffin starts to get all flirty with Whybourn I've noticed I get a silly grin on my face. They're just so damned cute! I got a couple of chances to get all giggly in this one, and a good number of sighs too.

Nice book, well worth the time reading it. I recommend the series to anyone interested in the genre.

I read the previous books in this series and enjoyed them. I do like this author's style, and the premise is rather fascinating.

However... this book felt like, 'This is the episode where we lie to each other and it ends badly as such things always do. Then we'll make up, and it will be all better.'

Full disclosure - I did not finish this one. The formulaic feel of it turned me right off and I just couldn't get past about the halfway mark.

Jordan Hawk, you have managed to do it yet again! Each book I finish from this series seems to be the best, it can be no better, and then another appears to be better than the last. You are shameless at drawing out the emotions of not only your readers, but also the emotions of your characters with every story.

Percival Endicott Wyborne we met in Book One, Widdershins. Percival had been introduced as a meek, frail soft spoken introvert, a historian of sorts, a reader of old and lost languages. Wyborne is a ghost of a man, hiding out in the tomes of a vast museum alone bereft of family, friends, and any color. When I began this series, I saw Percival as the color grey, BUT not anymore.

Watching this young man grow to true Technicolor has been quite an experience. We have lived and watch the vast change in this beautiful boy. He found a family he made himself, a co- worker he didn’t believe he could call friend, and a man he met that he hoped could be a friend, and then became a lover, then so much more.

This series has been much about dark secrets. Yes, secrets of their town called Widdershins and what exists in its dark corners, secrets of a father who belonged to a appalling sect, secrets of a railroad town holding terror in the mountain, secrets of a brother, secrets of a friend, and finally secrets of the worst kind, secrets of a mother and a lover.

In this Book 5, called Bloodline, Jordan Hawk has given the reader a wonderful mystery to solve, and many questions are answered. Remember the saying "be careful what you wish for"? Characters we have become familiar with have had their secrets now revealed. We have lost some of them to death, or the unknown. Actually, the reader needed some of these questions answered, some we saw coming. But in all the possibilities I never thought Wyborne would hold secrets from Griffin, no matter how logical it seemed. The hard cold fact that Griffin felt so betrayed hurt my heart.

So again, I have finished Bloodline, and I think it is the best book in the series, that is until I read the next! Great work Jordan.

Review by Gloria Lakritz

Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild

Oh, Ival. I was often left so disappointed with him in this book. His magic has made him sneaky, and rather than sit down and talk to Griffin about things, he often makes dubious decisions because he doesn’t want to fight. Not that Griffin is entirely innocent in all of this, since he often lets his fears rule him, but Percival is the one who is most deceptive. And I often wanted to shake him for being willfully blind.

In other words, the fifth tale of this series once again dragged me right in and left me unable to do anything except finish it. This time around the focus is firmly on Ival, his heritage and the power he’s been steadily accruing over the course of the series. This also leads to a lot of strain on his relationships – with Griffin, his family and Christine – but with everything else that’s happening in Widdershins, there is very little time to sit around and mope about any of it.

Murder most foul has hit the streets of the city, along with strange monsters and a curious rhyming prophecy – not to mention a couple of Endicott cousins that seem to understand Percival in a way no one has ever tried before. There’s danger and temptation and plenty of frustration (from me, at Ival’s behavior mostly) as this tale unfolds and throws in a few surprises that explain one or two things in a way you might not expect.

This book is packed with emotion and personal difficulties for Percival, delving into his feelings and past more deeply than any other story to date. At times it’s heart-wrenching, but it also provides moments of pure sweetness and one scene that made me sigh with happiness. I did feel that some things were a touch predictable and would have expected more suspicion from some characters, but overall it was another deeply enjoyable read from this excellent series. And, as always, left me scrabbling eagerly about for the next one. Thank goodness I bought the box sets.

Well that just changed everything! I spent the majority of this book wanting to strangle Whyborne or slap some sense into him. He is becoming warped and changed by his growing skills as a sorcerer and connection to the town. He begins to act in a way that's appalling and detrimental to all his relationships. Then the mystery takes a truly weird turn, I mean way-out-there-weird! I got done with the book and was speechless. I could see how little clues or pieces in other stories could be tied in or fleshed out in this way, but it still seemed like a huge jump. It's one of those books you read that you wish the author would take it all back. I feel like a line was crossed here. The ante was definitely upped and I guess Jordan didn't want the series to become a stale series of creepy cases.... But still! I actually waited a few days to write this review because I wasn't sure how I really felt about it. I've given it 3 stars because there were things that I did think were done very well in the story but in many ways I felt it was just a disappointed "okay". It will be interesting to see what the author does with these revelations later.

I just finished this and I was BLOWN AWAY! Jordan L. Hawk outdid herself with this book.

Anyone that's looked at my reviews at all knows that I am a huge fan of Jordan's books but this book is as near to perfection as I can imagine a book being. There wasn't a thing I didn't love.

It felt like everything was turned up to eleven (one more than ten for those that understand the reference). And what am I doing putting a reference to “This is Spinal Tap” in a review about a historical paranormal book? I don't know but it works because yes, this one goes to eleven.

The humor in this book is absolutely perfect, it made me laugh out loud more than once. The humor runs throughout the series but this time it was more prevalent and a more comfortable part of the story.

I wanted to rage at Whyborne more than once, I wanted to reassure Griffin often, I was horrified by Stanford and the Endicott twins, and I was, in the end, happy for Heliabel. I hope we hear more from Persephone. I loved that Whyborne has truly become who he is meant to be but that he remains the unsure, sweet, slightly awkward person that he has always been.

So, if you haven’t started the series get to it, you are missing out! If you have read the rest of the books I guarantee this book will surpass your expectations. There’s not much better than having a book in a series you already love exceed your hopes.

I can’t wait to see where the next book takes us but until then I will be reading this again and eagerly looking forward to the audio release.

This series just keeps getting better and better! Bloodline is chock full of everything great about the ongoing saga of Whyborne & Griffin plus more - lots of action, adventure, sorcery, revelations, treachery and life-altering events. Add to that romance, loyalty, sexiness and even some laughs. As I read, I kept thinking, “Wow - I can’t believe that just happened!”

The regular crew is back with the addition of some intriguing distant cousins of Whyborne’s and his sister visiting from across the pond. Whyborne gets out of control (yikes!) and Griffin is most wonderful.

This series is best read in order, I think. If you have not started it, the first book is Widdershins.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Whyborne’s father about Dr. Christine Putnam: “She’s one of those obstinate modern women, isn’t she?”

Griffin to Whyborne: “Do you understand Ival? I love you, and I will never give up on you.”

Whyborne to a new character: “Only a man and woman can wed.”
Response: “Truly? Land people are stupid, then.”

The end of the story was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. My only regret is that I burned through the book so quickly – now it is over. At least there is the promise of another installment – Hoarfrost – in 2015.

In the Whyborne & Griffin series there is magic, action, humor, romance m / m and graphic sexual descriptions. If you do not like magic stories or read gay sex scenes, this series is not going to like you.
We get answers to many of the questions and doubts from the previous books. This is perhaps (the series is not complete yet), in my opinion, one of the most important books in the series for all the revelations about the ancestors of Whyborne.

Another great outing with the boys and their fateful tough friend the lady archeologist. You see growth and comfort in the years passing with the male duo in the lead. Fast paced page turner with some gay erotica mixed in to keep things spicy and romantic. Amusing and well drawn characters is a weird turn of the century Victorian New England that never was. Definitely a fun escape and series with legs. It mixes detection, fantasy, relationship, romance and gay erotica in a satisfying stew of light reading. A guilty pleasure with some very good writing and making some silly concepts acceptable. I'm a fan and look forward to the next installment.

I was very uncomfortable reading much of this story. It's amazing how invested we can get in fictional characters. I really hated Whyborne lying to Griffin. But, as always, the story was intense with twists and turns. The climax was awesome! And the final scene heartwarming. Thank you again Jordan for continuing to provide us with such great entertainment.

Whyborne and Griffin have my heart. COMPLETELY!
Jordan's way of twisting and turning these stories are amazing. I really can't say it enough. The plots are seriously crazy, wild, and just WOW at times. Often there is a darkness that is there, but nothing that makes you want to stop reading. If anything you want more. At least I do.
This story is no different. At one point my husband asked me if everything was ok, because my eyes were "bugging out". LOL

April cannot get here fast enough for me! Hoarfrost is on the horizon. Eeeeee!!

Twists and turns that took my breath away. Plenty of suspense. Heroes and twisted humans that are not only believable but resonate with emotion. And a satisfying conclusion with a feel good ending. Worth reading over again.